The seasonal maximum extent of Arctic sea ice has passed, and with the passing of the vernal equinox, the sun has risen at the north pole. While there are plenty of cold days ahead, the long polar night is over.
News & Stories
Across the globe, snow and ice play a vital role in regulating Earth’s climate and providing freshwater resources to people, plants, and animals.
As Earth’s frozen regions change rapidly, NSIDC is committed to growing its research and open access data to better understand these changes. Read about NSIDC research and its contribution to science and policy making. Check out spotlights on how to use NSIDC data, tools, and resources. Learn about how we steward data and collaborate with scientists and organizations across the world to understand how the frozen parts of Earth affect the rest of the planet and impact society.
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Analysis - Snow Today
Snow-covered area was below average in April 2021 with recent storms on the west coast pushing conditions closer to average. Snow cover days, cumulative over the season, are well below average for this water year, which spans from October 1, 2020 to present.
Analysis - Sea Ice Today
The spring decline in Arctic sea ice extent continued at varying rates through the month of April, highlighted by a mid-month pause.
News Release
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced this week their participation in the 50x30 Coalition, a group of governments and cryosphere and emissions research institutions endorsing the
Feature Story
With support from NASA, the NSIDC DAAC now offers a solution to compare years of altimeter data in the form of an interactive tool called IceFlow.
Analysis - Ice Sheets Today
With the exception of the northern and southern Antarctic Peninsula, the Antarctic melt season for 2020 to 2021 was unremarkable and below the 1990 to 2020 average.